This invention pertains to an attachment for a sponge mop.
Typically, a sponge mop comprises a cellulose or other synthetic sponge, which is shaped as a rectangular parallelipiped, and to a top surface of which an elongated handle is attached so as to extend at an acute angle from the top surface.
Although sponge mops are ideal for many cleaning and other tasks, such as floor washing and waxing tasks, sponge mops may be too soft for some scrubbing tasks, even if used with powdered cleansers containing fine particles of grit. Moreover, if used for hard scrubbing tasks, and especially if used with such cleansers, sponge mops tend to wear quickly, even to tear apart or crumble. Likewise, sponge mops may be too hard for some polishing tasks.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide attachments, such as scrubbing pads and polishing pads, which could be removably attached to a sponge mop.
It has been proposed to provide a frame, which would be extruded from a metal or plastic material having a spring characteristic, to which spaced portions of such a pad could be removably clamped between flanged portions of the frame and adjacent portions of the frame, and which could be removably clamped over a sponge mop. The flanged and adjacent portions of the frame would be spring-biased toward each other, because of the spring characteristic of the material of the frame, so as to impart a clamping force on such spaced portions of the pad. It has been considered, however, that such a proposal would not be entirely satisfactory in that the pad would not be well attached to the frame and could be easily dislodged. It has been proposed, as an alternative approach, to affix such a pad to a frame, which would be extruded from a metal or plastic material having a spring characteristic and which could be removably clamped over a sponge mop, by means of an adhesive. It has been considered, however, that use of an adhesive to affix such a pad to a frame would be too expensive and too complicated, from a manufacturing standpoint.
There has been a need, to which this invention is addressed, for an improved, inexpensive, and uncomplicated way to combine such a pad with a sponge mop.